With the regular season right around the corner, one thing to take notice of is how well the Schmaltz brothers, Jordan(Junior) and Nick(Freshman) played in the exhibition opener against Manitoba this past Sunday.
Both these brothers have more in common than people might think. Both were drafted in the first round in their respective draft years to different teams in the Central Division. Jordan went 25th overall to the St. Louis Blues in 2012, and likely would be in their system if it wasn't for brother Nick coming to UND this season. Nick went 20th overall in this years draft to the Chicago Blackhawks, making the brothers the only first round draft picks on UND's current roster. Both also played for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL before coming to UND as well.
Jordan is a puck moving defenseman who likes to shoot from the high slot when he has the opportunity to, especially when quarterbacking the power play. In his two years at UND, the St. Louis draft pick has totaled 36 points, 24 of those coming last season, doubling his freshman year total. He is an every day player and has continued to get better and better in each game. Jordan recorded a team leading three points (Goal, 2 assists) in the exhibition opener Sunday afternoon with two of them coming on the power play.
As for younger brother Nick, in the one game I was able to see him skate, he seems to have a Zach Parise like mentality to drive to the net, which will find him on the score sheet more often than not. Although he did not score Sunday, it was not due to the lack of trying. It seemed as if he couldn't buy a bounce to put one in, including hitting the post on an open net. If this net front presence continues for Nick, look for him to be a potential NCHC rookie of the year and putting the NCAA on notice.
The combination of the brothers will continue to grow chemistry as the season moves along and will make the power play that much stronger. Look for these two to be a factor in every single game this year and will be noticeable whenever they are not on the ice.
Here's a good read about US college hockey and the percentage of former college hockey players that end up in the NHL.
Ryan O'Leary Campus Calling -- Once seen as an “also ran” when compared to other NHL feeder systems (the CHL and Europe to be specific), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey, whose season starts up this month, is becoming a premier destination for young hockey talent and one of the largest pipelines directly to the pro ranks.
According to College Hockey Inc., a record 305-college alum played in the NHL during the 2013-14 season – equating to 31% of league personnel. That’s 11% more former NCAA players in the NHL compared to the year 2000.
The recently held 2014 NHL Entry Draft featured 65 U.S. born players, the most since 1991 (67), of which 47 are currently playing NCAA Hockey or are committed to play at a college or university in the future.
In fact, College Hockey Inc. reports that NHL Drafts have featured at least 60 current or future college players for 13 years consecutively.
As the regular season opened last weekend for the UND Women's Hockey Team, we saw a lot of things that are needing to be addressed, some good and some bad. With a split on the weekend, the team would take an early big hit in the pairwise rankings seeing as both games were non-conference.
Friday night the offense was put on display as they fired seven goals past the RPI goaltender. Becca Kohler showed a net front presence once again, leading the team with a hat trick. Sophomore Marissa Salo finally was able to find the net Friday night too. The hard working Salo not only would net her first goal, but get two as well. This was a long time coming for her and it showed UND's depth off very well.
The downside to Friday was the penalties. However, as UND Women's Hockey fans, we should be used to this right? Although they did not surrender a power play goal on the 11 opportunities that RPI was given, still 11 penalties is something that no team wants to have. When it comes to WCHA play, there needs to be a stress on discipline, or it could be a very long season that will have an early end.
Shelby Amsley-Benzie looked like she was in mid season form already, making 20 saves on 21 shots against. She was square to the puck, didn't leave out many rebounds, and seemed very relaxed in her junior season opener. Playing like this, she could be stealing a lot of games for UND this season.
There wasn't many good things to say about Saturday night. It looked as if a completely different team was on the ice. Not many passes were being completed. Terrible turnovers in the defensive zone were committed and the offense looked powerless. I am not docking the play of Vermont because they played very well, but if UND was playing their best game, the score would have likely been very different.
Not one player stood out as excellent Saturday night and very few stood out as decent at that. The top line of Becca Kohler, Meghan Dufault, and Josefine Jakobsen did combine for the lone UND goal, but that would be about all they had to offer. They did have a couple of very late scoring chances, however were not able to put one in. Gracen Hirschy is the player who stood out the most for me, playing the most consistent game out of everyone.
Two of the three Vermont goals were the cause of two very terrible defensive zone turnovers giving goalie Lexie Shaw no chance what so ever to make a save. Breakouts were sloppy and passing was way off target in the Saturday night loss.
If we learned anything from opening weekend, is that game play consistency between nights needs to be way better, or this season could be a very long one up in Grand Forks.
Mike McMahon of College Hockey News wrote an article about The Gentleman's Agreement: What Now?... For the most part this is old news from this past summer. Only with a different twist to it. There was something from the article that caught my eye. I found the part about the de-commitment to be very compelling and though provoking. Jeff Jackson is right, that word isn't in the dictionary, but it's become a common word in college hockey.
Mike McMahon, College Hockey News -- As Jackson points out, the word de-commit was practically invented by college hockey. It doesn’t actually exist.
“To me, a commitment is a commitment,” Jackson said. “The word de-commit doesn’t exist in Webster’s Dictionary, it’s breaking a commitment. To me, I won’t do it. I won’t go out and recruit a kid who has committed to another school, I don’t care if it’s a big school or a school at the bottom of the standings.”
Players are committing younger and younger – BU verbally committed a 14-year-old earlier this week and Maine committed a 13-year-old player last January – and recruiting to the NLI would render those “commitments” meaningless.
Of course, some would argue that’s already the case.
“Everyone is involved in it,” Jackson said. “The advisors are involved in it, the parents are involved in it, other players are talking in the locker rooms. I don’t like recruiting 15 year olds. I don’t think we should be in that business. I think we should have an agreement where we won’t commit a kid until he’s 17, but we can’t do that because we’re competing with the Canadian Hockey League.”
By signing with a CHL team, a player gives up his NCAA eligibility. In the eyes of the NCAA, because CHL players can be signed by NHL teams and assigned to CHL teams on loan, it’s considered a professional league.
The number of players de-committing, Jackson says, has increased over the years. Part of it, however, is simply the increased public and media attention being placed upon where players are committing. There is nothing stopping a player from proclaiming on Twitter that he has committed to such-and-such school, well before a school is ready to say the same.
This past weekend, Union head coach Rick Bennett threw the book at three of his players. Bennett suspended three players for multiple games, for violating team rules. Looks like the Union coach is sending a message early in the season. Here's the video to this story.
Ken Schott, Gazette -- Union coach Rick Bennett announced Sunday that three Dutchmen have been suspended for violation of team rules.
The three players penalties are senior forward Max Novak and junior forwards Matt Wilkins and Nick Cruice.
Novak was suspended five games, while Wilkins and Cruice each got three games. The suspensions begin with Sunday’s exhibition game against the University of Prince Edward Island.
"It's just a violation of team rules. I'll leave it at that," Bennett said before the game. That's going to be the protocol for this. I don't want to elaborate. It's a violation of team rules. It's something our staff feels very strongly about. It's nothing the guys didn't know about. They're veteran players. They knew about it. We've moved on."
From last season’s stats, Max Novak (15g-16a—31pts), Matt Wilkins (6g-14a—21pts) and Nick Cruice (6g-1a—7pts). Two of these suspensions are significant. Novak missing five games is a big hit for the Dutchmen.
Stick tap to Pete Blackburn. I thought this was funny. If you have ever played football or hockey, or have been around the two sports, you will know that equipment for both sports already smells. Imagine someone dropping air biscuits in front of the net. Maybe this is why the Boston Bruins didn't do so well against the Hab's in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
P.K. Subban just admitted he intentionally farts in front of the net to annoy the opposition. I'm sure Carey Price must love that. — Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) October 6, 2014
Subban said his pre-game coffee acts as a catalyst in his stomach, then he holds it in until game time so he can fart on the ice. Great. — Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) October 6, 2014
I was reading this article over on the Sports Net site and I found something that caught my eye. According to former Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr, the speed of the NHL makes it dangerous.
Luke Fox, Sportsnet.ca -- Orr on speed: “I played a style that coaches didn’t like. Not many players played like that. When I went to junior, I was 14 (and) owned by the Bruins. But they didn’t ask me to change my style. They continued to let me play my way. They thought I was most effective that way, and it certainly helped me.”
“I think teams are looking at L.A. and teams that are more successful and seeing they need speed. There are a lot more good skaters then there were in the past. Without the centre line, you can wind up, go from one end to the other. Guys are coming through the middle with big speed. I think it’s dangerous. I think with the size of the players and the speed of the players, without the centre line, players are being hurt. Teammates are running into each other, and I think it’s dangerous.
Interesting article about coach Dean Blais and his UNO hockey program.
Tony Boone, Omaha.com -- NO, entering its 18th season, still needs to establish itself as a program relevant on the national level, Blais said. Becoming a perennial NCAA tourney team is an important part of that.
The coach recalled his days at North Dakota, where he was the head coach from 1994 to 2004, when he could drive to Winnipeg, then fly to British Columbia or Saskatchewan and have immediate credibility when he visited a recruit because his program had name recognition.
“Everyone knows about North Dakota. They have that tradition,” he said. “We have to build that tradition. We have to be known as a team that’s going to be there at the end of the year. We’ll get there.”
Omaha has a recruiting advantage, Blais said, by being located within driving distance of a number of teams from the United States Hockey League, the top junior league in America. But he expects the biggest boost to come when the new on-campus arena at UNO opens next October.
Players, for the first time in the program’s history, will be able to go to practices or games without driving across the city. And they’ll have their own space they don’t have to share with another team.
I've had a few people ask me if tonight's UND hockey game is on Fox College Sports. It will not be on FCS. Brad Schlossman had this on his blog this morning.
NOTE: Tonight’s game will be on Midco Sports Network. Before you ask, no, it will not be on FCS. Yes, UND, FCS and Midco are still working on an agreement so other games will be on FCS, but it is not done yet. I’m expecting something soon. Tonight’s game also will be on nchc.tv. Okay, so, let’s carry on….)
It does appear that UND games will make a return to Fox College Sports soon.
This is the commercial that got me thinking about the awfulness known as domestic violence. It made me start thinking. No, I'm not going to criticize the commercial or the people who appear in it. It's actually quite a good commercial. The problem is: the message isn't going to get through... at least to the finality that it states.
Why?
Because, though it doesn't say much directly, domestic violence is a problem that men subject women to...even though it isn't.
You see, this year is the year of domestic violence with Ray McDonald, Greg Hardy, Ray Rice, and Johnathon Dwyer (all NFL players) getting accused of domestic violence. All mentioned are suspended indefinitely by the NFL. They have been vilified by the media and by social media. Alright, I get it. But there's a problem:
But that's not why I'm not 100% behind this campaign and will not openly support it. Though the commercial is right on, the reality is that it isn't handled that way at all. It is handled specific to gender trending in statistics. In other words: it only matters when it is a man beating a woman. Yes, I know that a VAST majority of domestic violence is in this vein. However, not all of it is.
Case in point? Hope Solo. As we speak, Hope Solo has been accused of domestic violence. There was one article on ESPN.com about it. That's it. No outcry. No suspension. No condemnation of any entity. Heck, I'm not even sure that there's even been any condemnation of Hope Solo personally, despite the allegedness of the claims. Why is that? Is it because she's just a soccer player?
Well, she's not the beer league soccer player... she does have the honor of representing this country in soccer in world tournaments like the World Cup... but perhaps since the World Cup isn't going on right now, she's not relevant?
Or maybe it is gender stereotyping again. "Aw, comon, man! Put your big boy pants on. Can't take it from a girl? Shoot, she was probably just into rough foreplay!"
I cannot take vilifying men charged with domestic violence charges as long as women aren't treated equally whenever they are charged with the same crime.
It's a lot like sexual misconduct. Look at all those sickening sex scandals between a male teacher and a female student. Sickening, for sure, but they are found guilty and sentenced to around 20 years in prison. Now flip the genders and what happens?
It's all based upon statistical likelihood of occurrence. Men most often are the defendents in domestic violence and sexual misconduct cases, therefore, they're the culprits. It's sad. It's like saying "Black people were behind the riots in Ferguson. Therefore all black people are the cause of public disturbances and rioting." I don't have the stats in front of me, but I'm fairly certain that this "claim" is false.
So, rewatch the commercial. If domestic violence is bad, and we need to make a big public ordeal behind each occurance among our celebrities and pro athletes, then we need to make sure that ALL occurrences get such treatment, not just the "usual" suspects.
If/When Dwyer, Hardy, Rice, MacDonald see their court day (or plea session) and a judgment is reached, if it is guilty, I hope they rot. However, if they are innocent (no matter how unlikely it may seem), then play on fellas and good luck on the field.
#ISLES TRANSACTION: Team has acquired Nick Leddy from Chicago and Johnny Boychuk from Boston. Details to follow. pic.twitter.com/TnXRHYxG7r
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 4, 2014
Former UND forward Brock Nelson got two new teammates today. The New York Islander turned some heads trading for former Minnesota Golden Gopher and Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy and former Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk.
It's really a boost for the Islanders defense core. Picking up Boychuk and Leddy, the Islanders get two defensive players that have won Stanley Cups.
With the trade, the Bruins get a 2nd round draft choice in 2015, 2nd draft choice in 2016 and a conditional third round draft choice in 2015.
Boston has traded Johnny Boychuk to the Islanders in exchange for two 2nd round picks & a conditional 3rd round pick: http://t.co/e160KN74m0
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 4, 2014
I guess someone forgot to tell the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens that this was only a meaningless exhibition game. Both teams were engaged in an old-fashioned, knock-down, drag-out line brawl Friday night. I am surprised that P.K. Subban actually fought Mark Borowiecki.
The Hockey News has ranked the top 50 NCAA Hockey players and 14 (.28%) are from the NCHC. Three of them are from the University of North Dakota.
8. Riley Barber, Miami – Incredible offensive prowess has boosted the Washington pick’s stock since he came to RedHawks; look for more of the same from the junior.
9. Jordan Schmaltz, North Dakota – St. Louis first-rounder is a maturing, mobile defenseman who doubled his points as a sophomore last season.
12. Nick Schmaltz, North Dakota – Jordan’s younger bro joins him in Grand Forks. The Chicago first-rounder is blessed with a number of sick offensive moves.
17. Jonny Brodzinski, St. Cloud State – Gifted goal-scorer will once again light the lamp large for the Huskies; he’s a Los Angeles selection.
21. Evan Cowley, Denver – With Sam Brittain gone, Cowley can put his stamp on the crease with the Pios. The big netminder is a Florida pick.
27. Jake Guentzel, Nebraska-Omaha – Smaller Pittsburgh pick had an outstanding freshman season with the Mavs and they’ll need his playmaking prowess again.
28. Andy Welinski, Minnesota-Duluth – Mobile Anaheim pick with great size led the Bulldogs in points from the blueline as a sophomore.
33. Zane McIntyre, North Dakota – Boston prospect formerly named “Gothberg,” will hold down the fort in net for UND as the team eyes a national title.
34. Jaccob Slavin, Colorado College – The Carolina prospect is much bigger than he was when the Canes drafted him and he plays all situations on the back end.
35. Quentin Shore, Denver – The third of four hockey brothers, Shore is an Ottawa prospect who brings some nice scoring punch back to the lineup.
38. Paul LaDue, North Dakota – A late-blooming defenseman snagged by Los Angeles as a depth pick, LaDue was great as a freshman, grabbing all-conference rookie honors.
40. Teemu Kivihalme, Colorado College – Incoming freshman boasts a crazy set of wheels from the blueline; he’s a Nashville pick.
45. Aidan Muir, Western Michigan – Raw Edmonton project kicks off his college career in Kalamazoo;
50. Joey LaLeggia, Denver – The skilled offensive blueliner is an Edmonton pick primed to put up big numbers as a senior.
Apparently, Providence is the team to beat in Hockey East. (Link to the Poll)
1. MINNESOTA
2. PROVIDENCE
3. NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota returns all but five players that suffered a heart-breaking Frozen Four loss last season — count that as plenty of motivation for a team that went 15-2-1 down the stretch run. With Clarke Saunders gone, junior Zane McIntyre (formerly Gothberg) takes over the net full time and is set up for even more success with a deep veteran defense in front of him. Senior Nick Mattson and junior Jordan Schmaltz headline a crew of blueliners that do everything well and should see sophomore Paul LaDue have an increased role. Up front, Austin Poganski and Nick Schmaltz will fit right in with North Dakota's forwards who can win with goals, physicality, or speed. Expect Drake Caggiula to take a big leap in his third year of collegiate play.
4. BOSTON COLLEGE
5. COLGATE
6. MINNESOTA STATE
7. MIAMI
8. MICHIGAN
9. ST. CLOUD STATE
10. FERRIS STATE
This is an interesting article about NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman. Apparently, he's not going to apologize for the NHL's previous lockouts. Personally, I have always thought that Bettman is an unlikable figure that gets booed in almost every NHL city that he shows up
in. That being said, if the owners didn't want him, he would have been gone already.
"Some guy walks up to me and says, 'I really don't like you,"' the NHL commissioner recalled. "And I said, 'But you don't know me.' And he says, 'Yeah but I don't like work stoppages, and I go, 'Well neither do I, so we have that in common."'
Bettman will forever take a popularity hit for three lockouts during his tenure, but he won't apologize for them. Ten years after the league ground to a halt and the 2004-05 season was cancelled, he maintains it was necessary for the health of the sport.
NHL proactive about off-ice conduct, Gary Bettman says.
Pointing to the '04 Stanley Cup final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames in which the team to score the first goal won each game of the series and contrasting that with the 2013 playoffs and its unpredictability, Bettman believes the on-ice product is better than ever.
To get to this point, though, Bettman said implementing the salary cap -- which came out of the 2004-05 lockout -- was essential.
"We had teams with 80-, 90 million-dollar payrolls and we had teams with 20-million-dollar payrolls," Bettman said at a recent Canadian Club luncheon. "And I would talk to the managers and coaches of the 20-million-dollar teams and go, 'How are you doing this?' And they would say to me, to a man, 'We clutch, we grab, we hook, we hold and we do everything possible to neutralize skill for 50 minutes and then we try to steal the game.'
Boston University forward Jack Eichel is only 17, but some have compared him to former UND forward Jonathan Toews. Eichel like Toews, snubbed the CHL to play NCAA hockey. I am just disappointed that UND isn't playing BU this season. Terrier fans should enjoy him while he's there, he won't be at BU more than one or two seasons.
Jeff Z. Klein, New York Times -- Jack Eichel is 17 and recently began attending freshman classes at Boston University. But he will be the central figure in the N.H.L. season that begins Wednesday.
If you are not a hockey fan, you may not have heard of Eichel. Those who have seen him, though, already compare him to players like Mike Modano, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin and even Mario Lemieux.
“His first two strides are as explosive as I’ve ever seen at this level,” said Jim Johannson, a USA Hockey executive since 2000.
Kevin Prendergast, an N.H.L. scout and front office executive for 30 years, said: “It’s not just his speed; it’s his skill, his hockey sense. It doesn’t even look like he’s trying, but the puck comes to him. He makes things happen.”
Jake Hildebrand, Michigan State junior, (9-15-7, 2.44 GAA .923 SV%)
Edit: I realize this is ten goalies to watch make an
impact in college hockey this season, but who better than Zane? Seriously?
Here’s my definition of Impact:
During the 2013-14 season, McIntyre led the NCHC and was ranked fifth nationally in goals against average (1.99) Historically, McIntyre’s 1.99 GAA was the fifth-best in UND single-season history
Still not convinced? McIntyre was ranked second in the NCHC in save percentage (.926), All-time at UND, that’s the fourth-best in UND single-season history.
McIntyre was named NCHC Player of the Month for March and April. Moreover, during that time, McIntyre led the nation in appearances with 11 starts. He also made 284 saves and lead with a pair of shutouts.
But there’s more.
During this impressive run, McIntyre had a 1.76 GAA and .934 SV% and finished second in the NCAA with six wins, that was the best for NCHC goalies.
Also during March and April, McIntyre allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of 11 starts. As I mentioned earlier, McIntyre had a 1.48 GAA and .948 SV% in three NCAA Tournament starts.
If your still not impressed, McIntyre stopped 43-of-44 shots in the NCAA Midwest Region championship game. That was a career high for McIntyre and the reason UND won the game 2-1 in overtime.
Breaking it down even further, Zane stopped 66-of-69 shots in his two regional victories. After starting the season 2-5-2, McIntyre went 18-5-1 with a NCAA-leading 1.72 GAA and a .933 SV% in his last 24 starts.
And Finally, McIntyre allowed two goals or fewer in 20 of those 24 starts. In the other four starts, McIntyre allowed only three goals in each game. s/t Jayson Hajdu @UNDSID.
